Jesus
had told the people, as when an unclean spirit goes out and returns with seven
other spirits more wicked than he was, AND THEY ENTER IN AND DWELL THERE: AND
THE LAST STATE OF THAT MAN IS WORSE THAN THE FIRST. EVEN SO SHALL IT BE ALSO
UNTO THIS WICKED GENERATION-Mt 12:45.
VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, ALL THESE THINGS SHALL COME UPON THIS
GENERATION-Mt 23:36.
The exact year Jesus was crucified is unknown. It is generally
acknowledged that it took place between 30 and 33 A.D. Within a generation (40
years), Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed as foretold in Godís Word.

3-ISRAEL,
JERUSALEM, AND THE TEMPLE WERE DESTROYED: PROPHECY FULFILLED

Within
a generation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Temple and city of Jerusalem
were destroyed, exactly as prophesied.
As the summer of 68 A.D. came, Jerusalem was surrounded by
Roman legions and was near defeat. Vespasian was made emperor in approximately
69 A.D. He allowed his son, Titus, to make the final attack, which came in 70
A.D. The Temple (often referred to as Herodís Temple) was destroyed. Not one
stone was left upon another as Jesus had said. By the year 73 A.D., all traces
of a self-ruling Jewish nation had completely disappeared. They fell by the
sword and were led away captive. Over a period of time, they had gone into all
nations. All of Daniel 9:26 and the prophecies Jesus gave had been fulfilled:
Jerusalem had been compassed with armies, the people had fallen by the sword,
the destruction of Jerusalem and the sanctuary had taken place, and the people
had been led away captive.
How is it that prophecy after prophecy has been fulfilled
as Godís Word said, yet there are many that still do not believe the Bible?

All of the seed of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that survive the Battle of Armageddon shall be gathered
to the Land of Israel during the Millennium. However, there have been smaller
migrations in the past. The following are some Jewish migrations that took place
during the 20th century (dates and figures are approximate).
1881-1900 30,000 Jews returned from
Russia.
1904-1914 32,000 Russian Jews returned.

In November 1917,
the Balfour Declaration was made public. Great Britain gave their approval for
a Jewish homeland.

Israel became a nation
on May 14, 1948. At that time, there were an estimated 650,000 Jews in the Land.

Some migrations that
took place between 1948-1951 shortly after Israelís independence:
25,000 European Jews arrived from Cyprus.
75,000 European Jews from the camps of Germany
and Austria.
33,000 Turkish Jews arrived in Israel.
20,000 Jews per year from Czechoslovakia.
37,000 Jews from Bulgaria.
7,000 Jews from Yugoslavia.
5,000 Jews from China.
35,000 from Morocco, Tunis, and Algiers.
28,000 Jews from Poland.
88,000 Jews from Romania.
3,000 Jews per month from Hungary;
also a considerable number from Persia.
121,000 Jews from Iraq were airlifted to Israel within a
12 month period.
48,000 Jews from Yemen were airlifted to Israel.

The number should
continue to grow up to the time of the Rapture.
It should be noted that hundreds of thousands of Jews were
prevented by the British from immigrating to Palestine, during the years prior
to Israelís independence in 1948.

6-GODíS
PROMISE OF ISRAEL BEING GATHERED AND BROUGHT INTO THEIR OWN LAND:THE DRY BONES

The
entire house of Israel is portrayed in the following two ways. One is through
the dry bones, the other is through the graves. Israel is pictured as being
spiritually deadóas being scattered and not in their own land.
They are cut off and without hope. Though their "bones
are dry," God will bring them "out of their graves" and give
them life. The people of Israel are scattered, but God will gather them. He
will put His Spirit in them and bring them to their own land.
The Scriptures reveal that God will make a new covenant with
them; He will remember their sin no more.
This is summarized in these portions of Scripture. Ezek 37:1-8
portrays the entire house of Israel as many dry bones in an open valley, having
no life. The question is asked, "Can these bones live?" In other words,
"Can Israel live? Can Israel be restored or resurrected?" The answer
that follows shows that indeed they shall live, and when they do they will know
that I AM THE LORD.
This national restoration of Israel occurs in stages, as
described in verses 1-14. It covers Israel being scattered throughout the world,
returning to their homeland, and receiving Godís Spirit; they shall know the
Lord and flourish during the Millennium.
1. The open valley that was full of many dry bones represents
the whole house of Israel as being dead. Some may say, this means they had no
homeland; they were scattered throughout the world and were also spiritually
dead. Others may say, this means that Israel had been reborn as a nation, but
spiritually they were dead.
2. The Word of the Lord is heard by the dry bones. Next,
breath enters into them, and they live. This occurs in stages.
First, the bones come together, bone to bone. God lays sinews
(or tendons) upon the bones; then flesh appears, and then skin, but there is
no breath in them for a time.
Next, they are breathed upon, receive breath, and live. They
are very many. The entire house of Israel shall know that "I AM THE LORD."

Verses
12-14, portray Israel as being in closed graves and not in their own land. Then
the graves are opened, and the people of Israel are brought up out of their
graves and into the Land.
God puts His Spirit in them. God places them in their own
land, the Land of Israel.

Ezek
37:1-6-THE HAND OF THE LORD WAS UPON ME, AND CARRIED ME OUT IN THE SPIRIT OF
THE LORD, AND SET ME DOWN IN THE MIDST OF THE VALLEY WHICH WAS FULL OF BONES,
AND CAUSED ME TO PASS BY THEM ROUND ABOUT: AND, BEHOLD, THERE WERE VERY MANY
IN THE OPEN VALLEY; AND, LO, THEY WERE VERY DRY. AND HE SAID UNTO ME, SON OF
MAN, CAN THESE BONES LIVE? AND I ANSWERED, O LORD GOD, THOU KNOWEST. AGAIN HE
SAID UNTO ME, PROPHESY UPON THESE BONES, AND SAY UNTO THEM, O YE DRY BONES,
HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD. THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD UNTO THESE BONES; BEHOLD,
I WILL CAUSE BREATH TO ENTER INTO YOU, AND YE SHALL LIVE: AND I WILL LAY SINEWS
(or tendons) UPON YOU, AND WILL BRING UP FLESH UPON YOU, AND COVER YOU WITH
SKIN, AND PUT BREATH IN YOU, AND YE SHALL LIVE; AND YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM
THE LORD.
Ezek 37:7,8-SO I PROPHESIED AS I WAS COMMANDED: AND AS I
PROPHESIED, THERE WAS A NOISE, AND BEHOLD A SHAKING, AND THE BONES CAME TOGETHER,
BONE TO HIS BONE. AND WHEN I BEHELD, LO, THE SINEWS AND THE FLESH CAME UP UPON
THEM, AND THE SKIN COVERED THEM ABOVE: BUT THERE WAS NO BREATH IN THEM.
Ezek 37:9-11-THEN SAID HE UNTO ME, PROPHESY UNTO THE WIND,
PROPHESY, SON OF MAN, AND SAY TO THE WIND, THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD; COME FROM
THE FOUR WINDS, O BREATH, AND BREATHE UPON THESE SLAIN, THAT THEY MAY LIVE.
SO I PROPHESIED AS HE COMMANDED ME, AND THE BREATH CAME INTO THEM, AND THEY
LIVED, AND STOOD UP UPON THEIR FEET, AN EXCEEDING GREAT ARMY. THEN HE SAID
UNTO ME, SON OF MAN, THESE BONES ARE THE WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL: BEHOLD,
THEY SAY, OUR BONES ARE DRIED, AND OUR HOPE IS LOST: WE ARE CUT OFF FOR
OUR PARTS.
Ezek 37:12-14-THEREFORE PROPHESY AND SAY UNTO THEM, THUS
SAITH THE LORD GOD; BEHOLD, O MY PEOPLE, I WILL OPEN YOUR GRAVES, AND
CAUSE YOU TO COME UP OUT OF YOUR GRAVES, AND BRING YOU INTO "THE LAND"
OF ISRAEL. Thus, the closed graves portray the people of Israel, not yet
in the Jewish homeland. AND YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD, WHEN I HAVE OPENED
YOUR GRAVES, O MY PEOPLE, AND BROUGHT YOU UP OUT OF YOUR GRAVES, AND SHALL PUT
MY SPIRIT IN YOU, AND YE SHALL LIVE, AND I SHALL PLACE YOU IN YOUR "OWN
LAND": THEN SHALL YE KNOW THAT I THE LORD HAVE SPOKEN IT, AND PERFORMED
IT, SAITH THE LORD.

7-THE
REBIRTH OF ISRAEL

In
many of the prophecies that follow, the term "in this last generation"
may be used. This term pertains to the period from the rebirth of Israel in
1948, to the time that the Rapture of the church takes place.
The destruction of Israel and Judah was foretold by God,
and it came to pass. For example, the Lord had warned Israel, MY GOD WILL CAST
THEM AWAY, BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HEARKEN UNTO HIM: AND THEY SHALL BE WANDERERS
AMONG THE NATIONS-Hos 9:17. Indeed, this has been fulfilled as well as many
other such verses. The prophecies that Jesus gave before He died, concerning
the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, all came to pass after His death
exactly as He said. But Godís Word foretold that Israel would once again in
the future become a nation. It is written, WHO HATH HEARD SUCH A THING? WHO HATH SEEN SUCH
THINGS? SHALL THE EARTH (or land) BE MADE TO BRING FORTH (or can a country be
born-NIV)?...OR SHALL A NATION BE BORN (or brought forth)?-Isa 66:8. THE TIME
THAT SHE WHICH TRAVAILETH (or is in labor) HATH BROUGHT FORTH (or gives birth)-Mic
5:3.
Israel was destroyed approximately 721 B.C. Judah was destroyed
approximately 135 years later. For the last 2500 years, approximately fourteen
different peoples have possessed the Land of Israel. Nevertheless, the Bible
shows that the day would come when Israel would be reborn into a nation. It
happened as predicted on May 14, 1948.
Israel greatly travailed in pain after Jesus
was born as many of her children were slaughtered.
Israel greatly travailed in pain to be reborn into a nation
as approximately six million Jews were slaughtered. But, afterward, came forth
the rebirth of Israel.
Israel will also greatly travail in pain during the Tribulation
as two-thirds of Israel will be cut off and die. One-third will survive. And
then will come forth the glorious Israel as the Messiah shall return and set
up His Kingdom. Israel will indeed be the blessed nation. As it is written,
THEIR SINS AND INIQUITIES WILL I REMEMBER NO MORE-Heb 10:17.